Presented by Binge Culture
Review by Hunter King
Binge Culture have returned to Summerhall with their fan favorite, Werewolf. Using the basic premise of creating an immersive story based on the campfire game of the same name, Binge Culture have managed to capture unease as well as nostalgia all tightly wrapped in an hour long interactive bow.
Three wardens, Joel Baxendale, Stella Reid, and Hannah Kelly lead the story and brief the audience on their specific roles. Each audience member is given a dossier and asked to interact through the show from their seats (mostly) based on the prompts that they are given. Together the audience and wardens will do whatever they can to ensure that lycanthropy doesn’t spread within their bunker, sometimes resorting to drastic measures.
Over the course of seven days the safehouse begins to feel less and less safe as the ever-growing threat of werewolves gets closer and closer.The show does an excellent job of establishing a threat and using basic technical theatre skills to create a truly unnerving environment, with some of the biggest scares at the entire festival.
If there is one criticism of the show it is that they might show their hand just the slightest bit too much, especially at the end of the show. As with any horror story, the main importance is the anticipation before the inevitable scare, which Werewolf handles beautifully. The reveal itself is perhaps just a bit too on the nose for a piece that has worked and successfully built such a tension that it softens the blow a bit too much right in the final moments.
With this said, the show is overall very strong and will definitely build a sense of dread in its audiences. Baxendale, Reid, and Kelly have a natural energy and clear connection as performers that make for the show to feel even more realistic, only adding to the sense of danger that is present from the first time you step through the plastic curtain. If you’re looking for a night of thrills and fear, Werewolf is certain to deliver that and more.
Certain to Deliver
Werewolf runs at Venue 27, TechCube 0 at Summerhall at 21:00
Running time – Sixty minutes
Review by Hunter King (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Hunter is a 2024 Master’s graduate of the University of Edinburgh and current doctoral candidate with a thesis focused on experimental theatre in Edinburgh. He has been a theatre practitioner for over a decade having worked in many capacities including as a director, actor, stage manager, front of house manager, and technician as well as others. Prior to moving to Edinburgh, Hunter was a high school English teacher in the United States. His passion for the written word as well as his passion for live performance are what motivated him to become a writer for this publication.
